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8 months ago
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ARTICLE AD BOX
PRESIDENT Macron says we must prepare for war in Europe, which would in effect be World War 3.
And senior Russian generals last week said that they were preparing to fight in Europe.
Colonel Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, former British tank commander
The Sun’s defence editor Jerome Starkey visited Ukraine’s frontline, pictured: A British-made Challenger 2 tank
Reuters
French President Emmanuel MacronWe have to ensure Putin does not win this war – if he does prevail in Ukraine, there will be war in Europe.
I do agree with Macron that we should look at “NATO boots on the ground”, or at least not discount them too hastily.
If we do, we may be handing the critical advantage to Putin.
But is Macron’s approach more likely to start or stop this war?
Is he putting on a show for his domestic audience rather than the Kremlin and western capitals?
If so, this is horrifically callous.
He appears to sway in the breeze of French public opinion, initially appeasing Putin and now wanting NATO to be on the attack.
Which hat will he wear tomorrow?
The number one priority is to ensure Ukraine prevails, holds the Russians and sends them back to where they came from.
This is what Macron should focus on. To do that, Ukraine needs ammunition and lots of it.
Certainly, they need more Storm Shadow and HIMARS long range precision missiles.
Macron should try and persuade his neighbour, Olaf Scholz, to unlock Germany’s vast Taurus missile stockpile, which could put a significant dent in Putin’s war effort.
Secondly, the Ukrainians need air superiority in order to enable their formations to break through Russian defensive lines and get behind them.
This is how we broke through Saddam Hussein’s defence line in 1991 and routed his massive and static army in four days, but we had overwhelming air power.
As a young tank commander back then, I did not see a single Iraqi jet in the air to constrain my movements.
The F16s are coming and soon, but to truly change the balance,
they need much more air power.
If Macron really wants to lead the charge, forget “boots on the ground”, it is “boots in the sky” which will most likely turn the tide back eastwards.
The most useful troops that the French could offer are military advisors, as the UK and others appear to be doing.
There is no shortage of fighting spirit in the Ukrainian soldiers and
individually they are more than a match for the press-ganged Russians.
But we must enable them to fight as combined armed manoeuvre formations, which will overrun the Russians once air superiority is achieved.
Putin's war in Ukraine
ON February 24, 2022, Russian tyrant Vladimir Putin launched a brutal and bloody invasion of Ukraine.
Russian forces stormed the border from Belarus in the north, Russia in the east and Crimea in the south – taking over towns, torturing and slaughtering civilians.
Putin dubbed it a “special military operation”, to “denazify Ukraine”, which in his twisted mind he believes belongs to Russia.
In October 2022, the Kremlin signed treaties annexing the regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia from Ukraine – dubbing them part of Russia.
This war is an extension of what Putin started in 2014 when he did the same with Crimea.
Russia’s continued and bizarre propaganda throughout serves as a front for two years of brutalising the country and its people.
But while gruelling meat grinder battles are fought on the frontline, Zelensky’s Ukrainian forces continue put up an impressive defence.
And Ukraine has vowed to reclaim all of its territory – making some good strides.
In the Black Sea they have taken out several of Putin’s key warships and strongholds, but without key fighter jets they lack sufficient air cover.
With a lack of planes, vital ammunition and tanks, Ukraine struggled to meet the goals of its 2023 counteroffensive on land.
The US, Britain and other countries in the West have sent money, supplies, ammo and training to Ukraine in an effort to help.
But concerns continue to rise around the world that the support is not enough and that if Nato don’t step up to help push Putin from Ukraine, he will bring war to Europe’s doorstep.
I say this, as I hear isolated tank battles are being fought, with Britain’s Challenger 2 being used to individually attack trenches.
This did not work for tanks in WW1 either, but when tanks were used in a combined fashion, with air power, infantry and artillery they overwhelmed the Germans.
The French and UK must enable Ukraine to do this with our
expertise and training which is the final requirement Ukrainian armour needs to succeed.
So, Macron, don’t hurt Ukraine’s progress by making promises to your voters that you have no intention in backing up with concrete support on the frontline.
But please get your fighter jets over Ukraine, empty your ammunition bunkers, especially your long-range precision weapons and encourage your continental allies to do the same.
Do get your experts to help and direct the very brave men and women of Ukraine, who are fighting for their national survival, and to prevent WW3.
You are correct, we all in NATO and Europe must be prepared, as a last resort, to fight Russia on the ground.
But we must exhaust every other way to turn the Russians in Ukraine before we have to turn them in the Low Countries, as we did with the last tyrant, Hitler, who assaulted our collective freedom in the 1930’s as Putin is doing today.
Macron is no Churchill. But by God we could do with the great man’s spirit right now in one of our darkest hours.
English (US)